Mechanically-controlled automatic elevator.



A. SUNW. MEGBANIGALLY GGNTROLLED AUTOMATIC ELEVATOR.

APPLIOATION FILED 00T. 2, 1907.

Patented my 31, 1910.

mann/5r Again, .25

sar na f ric.

anss'r sUN'DfH, or YoNKEns, NEW YORK A CORPORATION or NEW JERSEY.

or JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY,

atacan.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known ,that I, AUeUsT SUNDH, a citizen of the United States,residing in Yonkers, in the county of Westchester and State of New York,have invented a new and "useful Improvement in Mechanically- ControlledAutomatic Electric Elevators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the control and operation of electric elevators,and one of its objects is to obviate the necessity of extendingelectrical connections to the car or cage and throughout the vicinity ofthe travel oi" the car,las in the elevator well and hallways.

In an electric elevator using high potential, great precautions arenecessary for the protection of the connections to vavoid danger to theoperator and users, and in the ordinary systems of electrical .controlthe switches and apparatus about the car and elevator wel] consume spacefor installation which it is not always convenient to provide.

the cost of the necessary-electric wiring for connecting the variousswitches and apparatus in and about the car and landings is expensiveand the labor involved in properly connecting such apparatus isconsiderable.

My invention consists, primarily, in providing mechanical connectionsbetween the car and floors or landings and the controlling apparatusproper of the motor, thus doing away with the necessity of extendingelectrical connectionsv to the car/and floor landings; and it alsocontemplates using mechanical connections operated by the Well doorsinstead of electrical connections as heretofore, ,whereby thecontrolling circuits are broken whenever the well doors, or any one ofthem, are open.

My invention further consists in the various arrangement of -partssubstantially or more fully disclosed hereinafter.

One embodiment of my invention is set forth herein and the same isillustrated in its many details in the accompanying drawing in whichpFigure l is a diagrammatic view of.apparatus made according to myinvention. Figs. 2 and 3 are side views 'of details thereof.

VReferring to the drawing, M represents.

a motor, shown as an electric motor, and B Specification of LettersPatent.

Application led October 2, 19W.

, ASSIGNB T0 OTIS ELEVA-TOR CGMPAY,

MECHAITICALLY-CONTROLLED AUTOMATIC ELEVATOR.

Patented May 31, iig, Serial No. 295,624.

' vusual,upon the elevator Well.

In order to operate the motor and to control its direction of rotationfor moving the ing ein reversing electrical connections D are shown, butthey may be of any suitable character, and, being no part ot myinvention,need not be further described. Connections are made betweenthe motor and a reversing switch E, which alsomay be of any convenientcharacter, but is preferably of that form described in the patent to Ihlder No. 710,914, granted October 7 1902, for an improvement 1nelectrical operation of elevators by a single push-button system. Inthis type of reversing switch an armature F, carrying contacts, isarranged to be swung to one side or the other of the center and closethe proper circuits for the operation of the motor in one direct-ion orthe other, the Iarmature F being actuated by suitable electro-magnets D,U. rIhe arrangement is such in this instance that whenthe magnet D isenergized it will attract'the armature I and so connect the field andarmature of the motor M to the supply mains that rotaing the car Bdownwardly, while if the 'magnet U is energized the motor 'will rotatein such a direction as to move the car upwardly, and this rotationin-one'direction or the other will continue so long as one or the otherof the magnets remains ener ized.

In order that the circuit may be roken at desired floor landing, .thecontrol ing circuits include a Hoor controller or controlling device G,included in the controlling circuits of the motor and of a preferredconstruction hereinafter described.

' The motor and its controlling circuits and devices are controlled bymechanical means. At each floor landing Y, Y1, Y2, Y3 are shown levers1, 2, 3 and 4, and levers l', 2, 3 and 4 are shown in the car, whilemechanical connections extend from the levers at the floor landings andin the car elevator car upwardly or downwardly, starttion will takeplace in a direction for movthe proper time for the car to sto at the .llower ends of the wires coperating with the -levers 1,2, 3 and 4 areconnected to the bell cranks 03, 122, v1 and e, respectively, which 1nturn are connected through the wires H to other bell'cranks 32 providedwith springs 3l. The latter are suitably connected to switches carryingcontacts. rangement is produced suitable for controlling electriccircuits from a distance. The levers 1, 2, 3 and 4 located at thevarious v.floor landings are connected to corresponding bell cranks ma,:02, 01 and which latter are connected to the bell cranks v3, r2, @l andfu, respectively. Thus it isseen that each lever located at thedifferent floor landings is interconnected with a corres onding leverlocated in the elevator car, an furthermore these interconnectedleversare arranged to effect the voperation of corresponding electriccircuit-closing devices 33, 34, 35 and 36. The car levers 5 and 6 areconnected to operate the switches 5a and 6a through the vertical wires37 and 38, respectively. The switch 5a is arranged in connection withthe motorcontrolling circuits andl devices,I and the handle or lever 5in the car may be' termed the safety lever or. safety handle, since byoperating it what will hereinafter be termed the safety circuit iscontrolled, while the lever`6 in the car controls a switch 6, and thismay be called the stop lever, since its function is to break thecontrolling circuit in case of emergency and stop the motor, andtherefore the elevator car.

Those points on the diagram indicated by the -land signs represent thepositive and negative mains leading from a suitable source of electricsupply to the motor and to the controlling circuits.

What I have termed my safety circuit nay be traced as follows: Startingfrom the point 7 on the positive main, connection is made through aswitch L whose 'function will hereinafter` be referred to, and fromthence connection made to the circuitbreaking switch contacts 8controlled by the lever (3a. From thence the circuit extends by a wire 9through the normally open switch contacts 1l, l2, through anelectroinagnet 13, and by wire 14 through an electro-magnet 15, throughone winding 1G of what I term my safety magnet S, and thence through asuitable balancing resistance R4 to the negative main at point- 17.

'lhus an ar-..

The resistance R4 is to prevent too much current passing through thesafety circuit.

By any suitable mechanical connection -as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, thelevers l', 2, L 4 and 5 in the car are so arranged that the safety lever5 is always operated at the same time as any one of the other levers l',2, 3. 4 in the car, so that the safety y circuit must first be closedbefore any of the other controlling circuits a're closed. As shown, aswinging bar gin this instance is pivoted upon a rod g and is rigidlyconnected to the safety lever 5 (Fig. 3). This swinging bar g is heldagainst ythe under side of the car levers l', 2', 3 and-4 by means of aspring or springs 39 (FigQ) whose function is to hold the swinging bar gand adjacent levers 1, 2, 3', 4 in theirv normal outward position. Thecar levers with the exception ofthe safety lever 5 are arranged as shownin F ig. 2 in which rollers .40 and 4l carried in suitable bracketsfixed to the elevator car, are located directly behind correspondingvertical. wires H. A

third roller 42 is placed in front of the wire H and lies substantiallyin the plane of the stationary rollers 40 and 41, and is Acarried by abracket43 attached to the car lever,

so that as a lever in Fig. is moved to the right the roller 42 willdeflect, crimp or bend into a loop a portion of the wire H in suchmanner as to shorten its length and thusk effect an upward pull upon thebell crank to which this wire-is connected.

Referring Yto Fig. 3 it is seen that the lever 5, while having the samegeneral arrangement'as the other levers in the car, carries a roller 42on brackets 43 which are further removed from the common-pivot g thancorresponding brackets carried by the other levers. The 'roller 42"carried-by the safety lever 5 will, for this reason, have a furthermovement for a given movement of its lever than will any one of therollers carried by the levers l, 2', 3 and 4 for 'a correspondingmovement. Therefore, when any one of the car levers is operated, thesafety lever 5 is simultaneously operated, and the roller 42 carried bysaid safety lever, having a greater relative movement than correspondingrollers carried by the other car levers, will operate to shorten itswire .and so operate the safety switch 5 before the car lever has hadsuiiicient movedescribed, and electromagnets 13, l5 and tlie lSO coil 16of safety magnet S will receive current. however, sufficient power toseparate contact 18 from the contact 19 of the normally closed switch20, but magnet 15 will .eect the connection of the normally separatedcontacts 21, 2,2, thereby completing a connection from one' Ycontact 22to a branch or parallel conductor 23.

`Un the floor controller G are shown switch devices 33, 34, 35 'and 36corresponding to the car levers 4, 3', 2 and 1 and floor landing levers4, 3, 2 and 1, and so arranged that when any one of the above levers isoperated'one of the normally open switches 33, 34, 35 or 36 is operated,In circuit with each oneof the switches just mentioned areelectro-responsive devices 51, 52, 53 and 54 forming controlling magnetsor devices, the solenoids of which are connected to a 'suitableconductor 48 leading to the negative main at 17'.

Vhen the safety l'ever 5 has been actuated by a partial movement 'of anyone of the levers 1f, 2, 3 or 4 to close the safety circuit, a furthermovement of one of the latter levers will suiciently shorten thevert-ical wire H coperating therewith to effect the closing of acorresponding switch device, such as 36, thereby completing a circuit'in parallel with the safety circuit, including the normally closedswitch 20, normally, open switch 36, and a magnet v51. Each of themagnets 51, 52, 53, 54 comprises a movable core carrying a contact t,normally out of engagement with a movable conductor or bar J but adaptedto be moved lnto electrical connection with the latter in a directionsubstantially perpendicular thereto when .the solenoid is excited withcurrent. When a contact t carried b v a. core is moved into engagementwith the movable bar J av parallel circuit will be closed, starting fromthe point 26 and passing through the Winding 25 of the safety magnet S,thence through conductor 49 and one or the other of the magnets D or Uto the vmovable bar J or J and thence through a contact t, andby aconnection t to the magnet 51 and through conductor 48 and switch T tothe negative line'. This movable conducting har J is connected with amoving part o the hoisting apparatus, as by means of a rack and pinionand worm and Wheel `with the shaft of the hoisting drum, and the travelof the movable bar is proportioned to move in harmony with the travel ofthe car.

Corresponding to the bar J is an additional bar J, between which bars isa section of insulation J adapted to come into engagement with one` ofthe contacts t and break a circuit to eti'ect the stopping of the carwhen the latter approaches its destination, while the travel of themovable bars J and J', as stated, is proportioned to The coil 16-ofmagnet S has not,

the' travel of the car. The distance between the contacts t must also beso arranged that the ca'r is traveling between two floor landingsyduring. the time that the insulated portion- J is moving between anytwo adjacent contacts t.

Assuming that t-he parts are in the relative position shown on thedrawing, with the ,carA at the third floor landing and at rest,

and the insulated portion J is adjacent the magnet 53 corresponding toswitch 84.- and to the operating levers 3 and 3', let it be supposedthat an operator in the car desires to bring the car to the `llrst floorlanding Y. Let it be assumed also that the switches L and S are closedand all ofthe doors at the diderent Hoor landings are closed. Now whenthe operator first moves the car lever 1, the lever 5 will be actuatedto close the safety circuit before described, and upon 'further movementof the lever 1 the switch 36 will be actuated to bring into electricalengagement the contacts operated thereby, and av circuit in paraiiel tothe safety circuit will beclosed, starting from contacts 21 and 22 andincluding the contacts of switch 20, the contacts of switch 36, themagnet 51 corresponding to floor landing Y'and through connection 48 andswitch T to the negative main. The magnet 51 thereby energized Willcause its contact t to impinge upon the movable bar J to close a circuitincluding'tbe magnet D, starting from the point 26 and including onewinding 25 of the safety magnet.- S. The magnet D will operate thereversing switch. E to canse the motor to rotate in sucha direction asto move the elevator car downwardly. A s the car travels the-bar J willmove to the 'rightuntil the car has about reached the lowermost landingY when the insulation J moves under the contact t, thus interrupting thecircuit through the magnet 51 and the magnet D. The reversingvswitchwill therefore operate automatically to open position and the motorconsequentlybe stopped.

It will he seen that when the safety cirever. is of sutlicient strengthto separate the contacts 1S, 19 when separatelj7 excited orindependently of the winding 16. Tt will be seen that by breaking thecircuit of the switches 36, etc., at the contacts 1S, 19, interferencewith the operation of themotor from a Hoor landing is etfectuallyprevented.,`

since even though one ofthe switches 36,

etc., should be operatedit would have nov safety circuit remainsv'energized after the motor has come to rest or the car has reached itsdestination, and this winding 16 is of suiiicient strength to maintaincontacts 18, 19 of switch 20 separated until the safety circuit isbroken by some appropriate means, as by operating the stop lever 6 or byoperating the switch. L in any desired manner. Since, therefore, switch2O is maintained open after the car has reached4 its destination, afterthe motor has been operated from the car, the car is still under controlof the operator and its movement cannot be interfered with from a floorland.

ing until the safety circuit has been broken and again made, therebyrestoring the parts to their normal positions in readiness to beoperated from either car or Hoor landings.

With the vparts in their normal conditions,

contacts 11 and 11 are normally in electrical engagement and connectionis made between these 'contacts and the point 26. lVhen a floor landinglever is operated the safet circuit is not completed, since the wire 3is not actuated, but current passes from the pointv 7 on the positivemain directly to contacts 8 and 11, 11, from thence through switch 20,through one of thefswitches 36, etc., magnet 51, etc., to the negativemain, and thereby operating one of the contacts t to close a circuitthrough one of the magnets D U', at the same time energizing the winding25 of safety magnet S. A. holding or retaining circuit excluding theswitches 36, etc., is thus established from point 7, through contacts 8,11 and 11, winding 25, conductor 49, magnet D or U, bar J or J', contactt, and a magnet 51, etc., to the negative main.l -The motor will .thenbe operated to cause the car to travel in the desired direction and tobe automatically stopped. Boththe windings 16 and 25 do not receivecurrent, but the winding 2 5Qalo`ne is suflicient to separate thecontacts 18, 19 of the normally closed-switch 20, thereby effectuallypreventing interference with the operation of the 'car during itstravel; but since the safety circuit is not energized in this case, thewinding 16 receives no current and therefore ater the relay circuit isbroken contacts 18 and 19 will resume their normally closed positions,aand' the motor and car may again be controlled from either the car orioor landings.

Limit switches T and T are shown Aadapted to break the circuit at thesupply mainsemergency whereinthe motor should continue to operate andcause the car to overrun its normal travel. In thisl case the mov- Slable Contact bar J is adapted to strike one of the switches T, T,should itsinovement Ybe continued beyond normal, and break'the Aconvenient I circuit and stop the motor. arrangement for this operationis as shown,

wherein the limit switches T, T are arranged respectively in theextended path of travel of the movablecontact bars J',`J.

Instead'of extending the controlling circuits through cntacts'controlled by the well doors, as is customary, so that when a door isopened the controlling circuit isbroken in order to avoid the use ofwires carrying a heavy current or at a high voltage throughout thebuilding, I provide an arrangement whereby the controlling. cirl cuit isalways broken through the operation of mechanical means only upon theopening of a well door. The switch'L is 'arranged for this purpose in asuitable position, in this instance shown as bein R2, connected in anysuitable manner with they door and engagin the wire L, so that when adoor is opene the wire is caused to extend 'still farther between thesheaves, thereby lifting the weight W, and thusproviding means foractuating the' switch L. In this instance the cablev L` is shownconnected to the lever arm 46 of the switch L at the point 47. As therope L is shortened at the bottomv Vof the elevator well, and whiledifferent me- A strong, flexible wire, rope or ioo by opening a landingdoor, the weight W and switch arm 46 are lifted, thus causing thecontact-44 which is mounted vupon the switch arm 46 to be moved out ofelectrical engagement with a stationary contact 45.

To summarize the operation lbrieiy, it"

should be noted that normally all circuits are open; When a car lever isoperated,

'the contacts 11, 11 are first separated and the contacts 11, 12connected.` This. willA close a circuit from the positive main throughcontacts 45, 44, contacts 8, contactsY magnet 13 will hold thecontactsll, 12 'vtogether independently of the cai' levers and themagnet 15 will connect the @contacts 21,

22 and hold them together. Upon further',

. 19 are held disconnected by will be closed mechanically to causecurrent to flow from the positive main through con# tacts 45, 44,contacts 8, contacts 11, 12, magnet 13, magnet 15, contacts 21, 22,switch 20, switch 36, magnet 51,conductor 48 to the negative main. Thecontact t is then thrust downwardly onto the Vbar J and when this occurscuri'eiit will flow from the positive main through contacts 45, 44, 8,11, 12, magnets 18, 15, contacts 21,' 22, winding 25, conductor 49,magnet D', bar J .magnet 51, conductor 48 to the negative inain.- Thecontacts 18, 19 will Vthen be separated and the coreV of the magnet Sthrust farther into the winding 16. A holding circuit for the magnet 51has been established and .the switches 3G,-etc.', excluded from havingany el'ect, even though operated, by reason o the separation of thecontacts 18,119.

l.When the car reaches the selected floor the insulation J interruptsthecircuit of the magnets D and 51 and of the winding 25, but thewinding 16 .and the magnets 13 and 15 still receive current. Thecontacts 18, the winding 16, therefore even after the car stops itcannot be started again until'the contactsA 8 are opened by actuatingthe stop lever 6 in the cai' or a landing door the contacts 44, 45. Ineither event the magnets 13, -15 and winding 16 become d eenergized andthe contacts 18, 19 are therefore again connected, v'the contacts 21, 22separated and the contacts 11, 11 connected;

The mechanical controlling connections and controlling devices ot' themotor are so arranged that when any desired lever is o'ierated, thecontrolling circuits are com pleted and the motor o erated to bring thecar to the desired floor landing corresponding to the lever operated,and there can be no interference with the operation oi the motor afterit is started.v Furthermore, in operating any desired lever, whether thesame is located in the car or at one of the floor' landings,

it is not necessary to retain the lever in its operative position untilthe motor has automatically operated to bring the car to thecorrespondinv floor landing. It is merely necessary to hold such leverin its operative position until the magnetv 51, etc., corresponding tothe lever operated, has eected an eilectricl engagement between itscontact t and the bar J or J of the floor cont-roller. Since it requiresonly u short time for the magnet 51, etc., to become energized andoperate its contact t after the circuit to its solenoid has once beenclosed, the o erator can almost immediately release the liever after thesaine has been operated, and the springs 31, operating through the'various bell cranks, will at once move said lever to thel switch 36,etc., corresponding to the is opened to separate -vices in the car,

its initial position andv lever operated will return tcits open positionby reason of its own weight or by spring tension, thereby separating itscontacts. The circuit through theA magnet 51, ctc., is maintainedthrough-the floor controller contact .I or J until the latter has movedto such position that this self-maintained circuit is automaticallybroken by the opera.- tion of the floor controller'as before described.

lWhile I have described my invention in connection with a ypicalelevator apparatus in which direct current of constant potential isused, my invention is equally adapted to alternating or intermittentcurrent, in which case a motor adapted to use with such current would beemployed, the system of operation remaining substantially the saine. K

Obviously those skilltd in the art may make various changes in thedetails and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit andscope of my invention, and I desire therefore not to be limited to theprecise construction disclosed.

What I claim is 1. In an apparatus for controlling eievators, thecombination with a motor andia car, of a stationary controlling-'devicefor the motor, levers in the car, and a mechan ical'connection betweeneach lever and the controlling device.

2. In an apparatus for controlling elevators, the combination w-ith acar and a motor, of motor controlling circuits, stationary switches inthe circuits, switch operating deconnections between said devices andthe switches. l

3. In an lapparat-us for controlling elevators, the combination with acar and a motor, of switches in the motor circuits located outside thepath of travel-ofthe car, switch operating devices in the car, and'separate mechanical connections between said devices and the switches.

4. In an apparatus for controlling elevators, the combination with a carand a motor, of a `motor controlling circuit, switches in said circuit'located outside the path of travel of the car, manually operabledevices withinthe car, and mechanical connections between each of saiddevices and one of said switches.

5. In an apparatus for controlling elevators, ,the combination with acar and a motor,

of electrical circuits forit'lie motor located outside of the path oftravel of the car, a' plurality of independently operable circuitcontrolling devices within the car, and mechanicalconnections betweensaid devices and the circuits.

6. In an apparatusfor controlling elevators, the combination with a carand a motor, of motor controlling circuits, switches iii said icoandseparate mechanical circuits, levers in the car, levers at the iioorlandings interconnected with the levers in the car, and mechanicallyconnected with the switches.

7. Aln an apparatus for controlling elevators, the combination with carand a motor, of a floor controller comprising a plurality or switches,operating levers in the car and at the licor landings, and mechanicalconnections between the levers and the switches.

8. ln an elevator system, the combination with a car and a motor, of anautomatic stationary floor controller, and mechanical means torgoverning the operation' (it the controller 'from the car.

9. ln an elevator system, the confibination with a car and motor, of afloor controller, mechanical means tor governing the operation of t-hecontroller from the several floor landings and means for governing theoperation of the controller from the car.

10. ln an apparatus for controlling elevators, the combination with acar and operating means therefor, of a plurality ot flexible L membersextending parallel with the path if travel of the car, manually operablede! vices within the car adapted to tleX the respective members, andmeans controlled by said members for automatically bringing the car torest at 'predetermined positions corresponding to the devices operated.

ll. In an elevator system, the combination with a cai"A and operatingmeans therefor, of a plurality of flexible members extending parallelwith the path of travel of the car,

manually operable devices within the car adapted to flex the' respectivemembers, switches, operating connections between the senese switches andflexible members, andv means for automatically bringing-the car to rest10 at predetermined positions corresponding'tot` the switches operated.

12. In an automatic elevator system, the combina-tion with a car, amotor, and a floor controller, of devices located at the Hoor landingsfor governing the operation of the floor controller, devices in the carfor also. governing the controller, a stationary device for'automatically rendering the devices at the floor landingsineffective-when any of the devices in the car are operative andmechanical connections between said devices in the car and saidstationary device for operating the latter. A 13. ln anautomaticlelevator system, the combination with a car and a motor, of aplurality of normally open switches corresponding to the several floorlandings, de'- vices for operating said switches at thevtloor landingsand in the car, connections between the switches and said'devices, meansoperative upon the closure of one of said switches to coiitrol'the'motor circuits and bring the car to a tloor landing corresponding -tosaid' switch, a circuit including said switches, and mechanicallyoperated means for automatically opening said circuit upon theoperationvot one of Ithe switch ope ating devices in the car. y Intestimony whereof, I have signed my i name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

` AUGUST SUNDH. YVitnesses CHAS. M. Nissan, DAVID LAnsoN,

